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Facebook Syndrome: Hate It or Leave It

It is not going to be long before young people begin migrating away from Facebook in droves, if they aren't already. From Slate:

A new report
released this week from the Pew Internet & American Life Project
found that Facebook remains the leading social network among American
teenagers. It’s also the most reviled. While some teenagers interviewed
by Pew claimed they “enjoyed using it,” the majority complained of “an
increasing adult presence, high-pressure or otherwise negative social
interactions (‘drama’), or feeling overwhelmed by others who share too
much.”

In other words, Facebook—as any adult with a profile knows—feels a
lot like high school. “I think Facebook can be fun, but also it's drama
central,” one 14-year-old girl said. “On Facebook, people imply things
and say things, even just by a ‘like,’ that they wouldn't say in real
life." Said another, “It's so competitive to get the most likes [on a
Facebook picture]. It's like your social position.” Ninety-four percent
of American teenagers maintain a Facebook profile, but that doesn’t mean
they have to like it. “Honestly,” one 15-year-old girl told Pew, “I'm
on it constantly but I hate it so much.” [Emphasis added.]